Which Actor's Career Would You Most Like to Have?

"I most admire Steve Buscemi. I flatter myself that I share some things in common. I am a native New Yorker who worked 25 years in the 'real world' while studying acting at nights. I admire his professionalism and contentment with quirky roles. He does the term character actor great credit. He has a natural respect for acting. Despite his success, he has his feet firmly on the ground. He has given acting a very good name."

—Kelly KaravitesManhattan

"I would love to have Robert Downey Jr.'s career. I can only imagine the ups and downs that he has had in his career. I admire his tenacity, and despite all the chaos in his personal life, he still has the utmost respect as one of Hollywood's most talented."

—Amore Leighton BlackBrooklyn, N.Y.

"Sarah Bernhardt's—the grand French actress of the Belle Époque who slept and learned her lines in a coffin and acted all the great classical roles. Also, Isabelle Huppert, who is utterly fearless and who, after doing all kinds of movies, continuously returns to work with avant-garde directors like Robert Wilson. And in New York, I am in complete admiration of Veanne Cox, Jefferson Mays, and Michael Stuhlbarg. They are truly great people of the theater."

—Emma ArchidManhattan

"Tom Hanks, because of the caliber of his acting. Mr. Hanks is able to take on diverse characters in diverse genres and sell it. When I have watched any of his performances, I have been 100 percent convinced I was watching the character he was portraying and not an actor performing. He is able to carry a project and be part of an ensemble. This is the level of acting I will someday reach."

—Nathan WillVancouver, Wash.

"I hope I'm not spoiling the fun to be had from other people's answers to this question. And I do fear this is going to sound so pompous of me, but I wish to have my own career and nobody else's. Now, I do get it. I realize it is fun to be imaginative, and I know that I have made very questionable career choices for 45 years as an actor. I have done countless mistake-ridden auditions and given far more embarrassing performances than makes sense to even my closest friends. But I have not lost for a single moment the thrill of my own mad, twisting, struggling career. I do see that it would be fun to work with Meryl Streep or Anthony Hopkins, and it would be amusing to be directed by Peter Brook. But I am so grateful for the experience I've had at every second of my own career, and I would never wish to think of swapping with anybody else's."